Little Richard: I Am Everything is an 2023 American
documentary film, directed and produced by Lisa Cortés. It follows the life and career of musician
Little Richard.
Dee Rees serves as an executive producer.
Documentary that follows the life and career of musician
Little Richard.
Production
In December 2020, it was announced Lisa Cortés would direct and produce a documentary revolving around
Little Richard, with
Rolling Stone Films set to produce, and
Dee Rees executive producing.[4][5] In May 2022, it was announced
CNN Films and
HBO Max would co-produce the film.[6]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the
2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2023.[7] Shortly after,
Magnolia Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film.[8] It also screened at
South by Southwest on March 13, 2023 and at the Douglass Theater in Macon, Georgia on April 14, 2023.[9][10] It was released on April 21, 2023.[11] It premiered on September 4, 2023, on
CNN.[12]
Critical reception
On the
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 48 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Woooo! An engaging tribute to the rock pioneer, Little Richard: I Am Everything should shut up anyone who doubts the title's veracity."[13]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
Music
The documentary features original music by
Tamar-kali,
Valerie June, and
Cory Henry. On June 16, 2023, the soundtrack was released on
Varèse Sarabande and distributed by
Concord. Jonathan Finegold served as the music supervisor of the film, and he also co-produced the original soundtrack alongside Andy Fisher.